Liberty

In the past, Liberty used to stock Tissot Swiss-made watches at some concession within the shop.
But as of late, Tissot have discontinued their contract with Liberty. Purdey's (London's top gunsmiths) did the same thing; I remember Purdey used to stock there casino playing cards at Liberty, but not anymore. Circa (an Italian luxury leather goods firm) did the same thing as Tissot as well.

A step back in retail history. Little has changed over the years apart from the staff being so much more friendly now. A wonderful place to visit when in London even if it's just passing through on the way to Carnaby St.

Liberty building is beautiful. However it lacks something, the staff seem to have that awful attitude which makes you feel uncomfortable being there. Went to buy a scarf and have to say not impressed with the dull lack lustre selection, its all pretty samey really. Anyhow they do have some wonderful diaries from noted illustrators......heaven!

I cannot believe I have not yet written about Liberty! This is probably my all time favourite department store. A real one-off, unlike Harvey Nichols and Selfridges which have loads of other stores across the country or Harrods which is a global brand with many airport shops.
 
Liberty is regularly voted best store by Time Out magazine and really something special.
 
On the ground floor you can find several departments. It is best to enter via the middle entrance where you can find a beautiful flower store. Probably one of the nicest in central London. On this floor you can find beauty, fragrance, chocolates, bags and other accessoires, jewellery and stationary. I am a big fan of the books and cards as well as the staff in the beauty department. They have brands such as Dermalogica, Kiehls and Bobbi Brown etc. available.
 
On the lower ground floor you can find the men's department as well as Liberty Café. There you have wonderful afternoon tea - really something worth trying.
 
First and second floor have women's clothing, shoes etc. with a wonderful display of shows and a nice room with exquisite lingerie. They also have an all-year beachwear shop by Heidi Klein. This is really worth a visit if you go away during the winter months and need a new bikini.

Third floor is home and furniture as well as haberdashery and the fourth floor stocks varying displays during the seasons. From autumn, I can suggest everyone to take a look at the Christmas Shop which has individualist gifts for all kinds of people and a great display of wall calenders at really affordable prices.
 
Overall, I can suggest everyone to have a look into Liberty. All different departments stock something beautiful and though many things are priced quite high, there are also less expensive items such as a calender for GBP 10.00. The staff throughout the store is extremely friendly and helpful. Have a look out for the 20% off events (usually in March and October) for Liberty Loyalty Card members as well as regular mid-season offers.

I might not be able to afford to shop in Liberty all the time, but the one thing I do love to go there for is afternoon tea. The Liberty tea room on the ground floor is a beautiful little sanctuary where the staff know their teas, and nobody ever leaves needing more cake! Their afternoon tea menus might seem pricey, but you get a lot for your money and you can take away any cakes that you don't manage to eat in a lovely Liberty bag.

If the tea room isn't open, or is full, the cafe on the second floor offers plenty of afternoon tea options too. If you're up for a relaxed and decadent afternoon treat, then this is definitely the place to go!

Nice building and really good presentation and display of stock.....but it just doesn't work for me.  The prices are outrageous and, according to some, are not worth it!  I have been in a few times with my wife and friends but have nothing much to interest me.  Prefer the "Other" store!!

However, nice little drinkies up Argyle Street!!

Liberty is situated in the heart of london in a classic mock Tudor building located next to the famous Carnaby Street. Liberty has been in London since 1875 and its rich with heritage and culture attracts many.
Famed for great fabrics this shopping experience is bar none added with great customer service, visiting Liberty is a must!

Now I’m not one for department stores (I prefer boutique store shopping) but this is one department store I love.

I don’t buy a lot here (the odd shirt, jumper or scarf) but have always found my shopping experience very pleasant. Great staff, will ask if you need help and if you do they help, if you say you’re browsing they leave you alone.

The men’s clothes are great. Not your typical high street store stuff (thank goodness) but a selection of high end designers – some wearable and some just interesting. And the store itself is just awesome to wander through.

Every year we hit the store post-Christmas to buy next years Christmas tree decorations. A good choice of odd and unique ornaments.

Once you shop here, you’ll never want to shop at those other high street department stores again.

Management are rude, snobby and uptight. All goods are over-priced (any like-for-like brands can be purchased my more cheaply elsewhere) and their returns policy is verging on the illegal. It is supposed to be a nice place to buy gifts but don’t even think about it. They have a 14 day return period after which they will refuse point blank to do anything, even exchange. Or, if you’re unlucky enough to have bought anything from beauty, fragrance or clothing there is no returns policy AT ALL. Even if you change you mind before leaving the store.

My wife picked up a couple of things in one department, and because you’re not allowed to walk around with unpaid goods like a normal shop she had to pay for them right away. Then she saw something else in another section that she preferred. When we asked to exchange it we just thought the sales assistance was badly trained when she said we were not allowed, so we asked to speak to the manager. She also refused point-blank to let us exchange what we had literally just bought 5 minutes ago. No gesture of good-will, no apology, just spouting ‘its store policy’ over and over again.

When there are so many other good stores to shop at with better value, far better service and decent returns policies there is no reason what-so-ever to shop here. By all means go in, look at the nice décor, but don’t bother buying anything. Save your money for a shop that treats its customers with respect.

May well be overpriced but the building itself is stunning. Great that they have embeded this old architecture with modern facilities. Very well done. There is also a great range of fancy labels to choose from. Top floor always has a great christmas range!

Talk about high end Fashion! whenever im in a frivolous mood, you’ll find me right here!

Really nice shop that has a very cosy almost at home lay out, really a nice moment spent.

Never buy Liberty own-brand men's shirts. Ever. Like everyone, I love Liberty as a shop. But I recently splashed out and bought a few of their plain, long-sleeved men's shirts. I justified it by saying that by spending more money, I'd get something that would last for years and years. But after a couple of months, the collars and cuffs started to bubble (something you'd expect from only the cheapest, most shoddily tailoring). Which meant my nice, expensive shirts were completely unwearable.

I emailed Liberty a few times to ask if they'd replace them. But to no avail. So, save your money and get your plain shirts from, well, anywhere else.

For a department store, Liberty has a wonderfully personal feel. You can get lost for hours in its inspirational ranges and two Tom Dixon tables from their furniture department now take pride of place in my craft salon.

Go in there to admire the old mock-Tudor building alone. Walk through all of the furniture departments to see some quirky stuff, I saw a great old fashioned typewriter and old desk that you would see only in the movies now. Make sure to enter via the florist, it is a lovely smell and the best entrance in the world.

fab!

I do mourn the fact that the Liberty fabrics are getting shoved further and further into the bowels (albeit on the fourth floor) of the shop - before if you wanted to check the real colours of fabrics or yarn you could simply walk over to the window but now there's virtually no natural light there at all.

Still has one of the best selection of buttons in town. It's all Rowan yarn as it's a concession, and there are Amy Butler and Rowan fabrics.

It's always worth checking out at sale time - generally Liberty card holders get an extra 10% off for the first and last three days of the sale, and by then fabrics can be reduced by up to 75%.

Walking into Liberty feels like walking into the past. Not because the goods feel dated, but more about the actual creak of the wooden floors and the fact that it's a Tudor building. There's something so warm and nostalgic about this place, and in recent years they've moved from selling predominantly traditional housewares and fabrics to also selling more contemporary and stylish clothing and accessories (especially for ladies). Truth be told, this is certainly not a shop for thrift-seekers - more for special finds and items to keep (I feel as if I'm ageing just saying that!). It's also a fantastic place for fabric inspirations. I've bought a couple of different printed fabrics and have had a jacket and a couple of dresses made (one of them from the English Rose fabric, which I adore). I remember my mother taking me here as a small girl, and now I'm shopping at - or at least admiring - Liberty (again, back to the coming of age). Although I've been told that the selection of fabrics and traditionally printed scarves has shrunk, I still think there's quite a vast selection and lovely looking goods around...and feel that this is pretty much as English a classic shop gets. Aside from shopping (or browsing), it's a lovely (and civilised) place to meet a friend for tea. Oh, and don't forget to check out the beautiful flowers at the side entrance - I adore that little nook.

Amazing!I can’t believe there is someone who gave it 1 star for homeware! honestly, if it wasn’t good enought why do so many people shop there?it’s an amazing place!you can have tea and coffee at the same price you pay at starbucks, I see many exclusive items at Liberty have that, usually when I go back, have sold out!I love this store as I think its very English!compared to all the other department stores who seem to cater only to certain people!they can be expensive but they also have amazing sales!anyway its beautiful and there if you don’t have the money, go get some friends and have a wonderful time in there cafe bar!

ciao!

Liberty is small department store in London on Great Marlborough Street just off Regent Street. It first opened in 1875 and specialised in oriental silk fabrics. It then went on to sell Liberty prints and designs and was part of the Arts and Crafts movement in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The shop is housed in an impressive country-house style building which I thought was really old but was then disappointed to read in a guidebook that it was mock-tudor and actually dates to 1925 and was built for purpose. Looks can be deceiving! Despite it not being as old as it seems it is still really impressive and the shop is worth a visit more for the building than for its actual goods.

Inside the building has been well preserved, instead of modern shop fittings and bright lighting the shop has retained all the period features. The old wooden staircases and wooden pillars remain in place. This gives the shop a lovely old charm feel and a certain quirkiness and makes it very different from all the other department stores. You wont find your modern escalators here instead it’s the wooden stairs or a lift.

The shop is split into smaller rooms housing its various collections of goods. There is a lovely flower shop in the outer hallway. Inside there is a beauty department, bags (very nice designer one’s with very large prices too) and accessories including patterned scarves, clothing, gifts and furniture amongst other things. Here the emphasis is on quality rather than the wide range which you would find in the other London department stores. When I visited a couple of weeks ago they seemed to be undergoing a refurbishment and some of the floors were closed off. Once the refurbishment is complete there may be a better selection of goods.

It also has some impressive window displays which are often quite cutting edge although sometimes can be quite weird too. The most recent one featured a fake (at least I hope it was fake!) dog poo amongst other things, previously they have even contained live models.

The shop is a nice place to visit and browse but I wasn’t tempted to buy anything. I think if you were looking for a special gift for someone then this might be a nice place to visit for something different but not somewhere I would come to shop often.

If you are in London though its worth a visit just to see the building.

The store is open Monday to Saturday from 10am until 8pm and on a Sunday from 12pm to 6pm.